Intake of phenol-rich virgin olive oil improves the postprandial prothrombotic profile in hypercholesterolemic patients

Abstract

Background: Oxidative stress associated with postprandial lipemia contributes to endothelial dysfunction, which shifts hemostasis to a more thrombogenic state. Objective: We investigated whether a high concentration of phenols in olive oil can partly reverse this phenomenon. Design: Twenty-one hypercholesterolemic volunteers received 2 breakfasts rich in olive oils with different phenolic contents (80 or 400 ppm) according to a randomized, sequential crossover design. Plasma concentrations of lipid fractions, factor VII antigen (FVIIag), activated factor VII (FVIIa), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity were measured at baseline and post- prandially. Results: Concentrations of FVIIa increased less (P 0.018) and plasma PAI-1 activity decreased more (P 0.021) 2 h after the high-phenol meal than after the low-phenol meal. FVIIa concentra- tions 120 min after intake of the olive oil with a high phenol content correlated positively with fasting plasma triacylglycerols (P 0.001), area under the curve (AUC) of triacylglycerols (P 0.001), and AUC of nonesterified fatty acids (P 0.024) and negatively with hydroxytyrosol plasma concentrations at 60 min (P 0.039) and fasting HDL-cholesterol concentrations (P 0.005). PAI-1 positively correlated with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (P 0.005) and fasting triacylglycerols (P 0.025) and inversely with adiponectin (P 0.026). In a multivariate analysis, the AUCs of nonesterified fatty acids (R2 0.467; : 0.787; SE: 0.02; P 0.001) and adiponectin (R2 0.232; : 1.594; SE: 0.629; P 0.05) were the strongest predictors of plasma FVIIa and PAI-1, respectively. Conclusions: A virgin olive oil with a high content of phenolic compounds changes the postprandial hemostatic profile to a less thrombogenic state.